Mary Robinson Centre in Ballina faced €2m threat over ‘reticent’ Mayo county council

Mary Robinson at her Ballina childhood home, where the centre is planned

The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht threatened to withdraw €2m in funding from Mayo county council intended to finance the Mary Robinson Centre, a library and exhibition space dedicated to the former president in Ballina, over a lack of communication about the project.

Correspondence released under freedom of information shows the department wrote to Peter Hynes, chief executive of the council, in February to voice its frustration at the dearth of information about the €2m grant given in 2016.

“Despite numerous emails from the department to your office, to date you have not responded to any correspondence, or provided any update in relation to this project,” wrote the department.

If no information was sent by March 2, “any unpaid balance (including the total…

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